Pixis for everything?

Ahhphoey · Jun 9, 2002

The hospital I work at uses the pyxis system, but for meds only. Using the pyxis for all supplies does worry me for the reason you stated above...emergencies. I have seen the pyxis machine get stuck, shut down, or just have long lines to get into all the time! Maybe your facility will realize what a bad idea that is when the first emergency comes up and the pyxis machine is shut down, possibly risking a patient's life.

LilgirlRN, ADN, RN · Jun 9, 2002

We've had the pyxis system in our ED for a couple of years now. We do keep non charge items in the rooms such as unsterile 4x4's. We also have emergency items that we can use such as ambu bags, nasal cannulas, suction etc in each room. I thought it would be terrible, afterall we are an EMERGENCY department, it's not nearly as bad as I had perceived and has saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars. I can honestly say that I've never lost a patient because I couldn't get into the pyxis.

Brownms46 · Jun 9, 2002

I worked in two hospitals that used the pyxis system...and all pyxis systems are NOT equal! And yes when I worked in the ER and had to get into the pyxis...there were many times when there was a line to get into it! It can be a pain...depending on what kind of pyxis they are using....some systems are a bear..and takes up too much time!

catlady, BSN, RN · Jun 9, 2002

Even with a Pyxis system, you should still have a well-stocked crash cart for emergencies.

mamabear · Jun 9, 2002

We use the Pyxis for meds. Some supplies are contained in this infernal gadget known as an Omnicell:( It's supposed to make billing easier and more uniform:confused: As I work on a locked adult psych unit, at least half our patients are there on an emergency detention order, so billing them for supplies becomes moot.

I can see the reason for the Pyxis: it's excellent for inventorying (is there such a word? Who cares!). However, I'm of the old OLD school, before the days of unit doses and those hateful blister packs:( Oh for the days of stock meds:rolleyes: For those of you who are younger, in the Olde Days, meds came up from pharmacy in bottles, and when you needed a pill or whatever, you took the lid off the bottle and POURED IT INTO THE (paper) MED CUP!! Those were the days:o However, this made it very easy for one to help oneself to whatever to make it through the shift or stay awake or assuage boredom. :devil:

NSDRN · Jun 9, 2002

Thanks for all the input. Our crash carts, procedure carts, and emergency items will remain as they now are. Each room will have it's own pyxis so I can't see that lines will be an issue.

Frankly, I feel like supply pyxis will be an uneccesary pain!

Honestly, I don't mind the added time to get out the items we charge for, but it irritates me that I have to get unsterile 4 x 4's, iv catheters, and all the other stuff that is currently included in the room cost out of a machine.

Us nurses just don't have enough to do!

catlady, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2002

NSDRN: The perceived benefit of the Pyxis or Omnicel for supplies is not just that the patient gets charged for charge items, but when you charge other items, it comes out of a computerized inventory. In theory, then, central supply should easily be able to keep track of what you've used, and restock you accordingly. So if the system works as planned (a big if, in some institutions), you have much less problem with missing stock. You also cut down on doctors sneaking out with all your unit's supplies.

pebbles, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2002

Our Pyxis (recently installed, and some of the "senior" nurses are having a hard time with the concept of computers!) takes fingerprints instead of passwords. Neato Mosquito - except it doesn't seem to work for any staff with dark skin. ???

We just use it for meds - no plans to use it for anything else, as far as I know. Emergency access even as far as meds goes has been a problem.

I like that it keeps track of stock and tells pharmacy automatically when to refill us - except the occasional glitch. But because we now have this snazzy system, they decreased phamacist coverage, making do with more technicians (sound familiar???) More mistakes are occurring during the entering of meds into the computer database, lots is getting missed, and we have to send another copy of the original order.

boggle, ASN, RN · Jun 10, 2002

We started out with just a med pyxis, and now have several of it's oversized children and a new baby fridge pyxis.

It actually works really well for us, now that we are used to it.

We have an emergency override to open all doors in case of a true emergency. Otherwise we just type in the patient's name to gain access. We do keep a list of the patients/bed numbers posted by the machine for those of us who can't remember names anymore.

The machine has a listing for stock for the floor for us to "charge" boxes of alcohol wipes or syringes.

We very rarely run out of supplies now that inventory is monitored through the pyxis system. If we suddenly have a high need for an item, we just phone the supply room, and they up our stock of that item.

Many of the docs hate it. They want to grab and go. Few of them ever bothered to record charges the old way either. No wonder we we loosing so much money in chargable items!!

Medication pyxis can be great, as long as the pharmacists keep up with the orders.

Good luck with your new system:)

SICU Queen · Jun 10, 2002

Call me paranoid, but I don't like the idea of having to use my fingerprint for ANYTHING. We're getting Pyxis for our meds, and none of us are happy about it. Especially the fingerprint part.

Oh well...

zumalong · Jun 10, 2002

We have a diabold (same idea/different brand). The best thing that I see about it is we don't have to do a narc count anymore. It is for meds only--I would be concerned if it had all supplies on it. We are a surgical floor and would be constantly standing in line to get dsg supplies!!!

Sometimes I wonder where management has it's head. I would NOT like to have to use fingerprints. We have enough loss of privacy as it is. Our's uses our SS number as a barcode. This bothers me, but I guess that is life. I was a bad girl yest and sent my patient home with dsg supplies for several dsg changes on his dihescience from his lumbar lami. So fire me--the guy needed it--if we had a pixis that counted all the supplies I would not have been able to do this. (he lived 40 miles away and his wife did not drive). The HC nurse was going to house on Mon pm which would be 2 dsg changes he would miss.